You were sent to a city of ashes
a people more dead than alive.
I said, "You show them my mercy."
You said, "Lord, will I survive?"You ran from my mission of mercy,
I sent you a storm and a fish,
three days and three nights in darkness,
before you said, "Lord, as you wish."Nineveh, city of ashes,
you wandered from east to the west,
in three days journey across it,
you spoke and you did all your best.Nineveh heard your preaching,
he summoned his councilors near,
he said, "All people in sackcloth,
that the Lord's anger visit not here."At repentence my anger abated,
I spared the city its doom,
but you saw my mercy as weakness,
and now you sit here in gloom.A bean tree for shade I gave you,
The bean tree I withered as well,
Now you sit here in anger,
saying, "Lord just send me to hell."My mercy, dear prophet, is boundless,
would you think I'd leave them to fall?
Should I not pity that city
where people know nothing at all?© 2005, Steven Riddle
I like this idea of retelling with verse. Well done, Steven.
I liked this a lot and think it would be particularly nice in a little book for children. Can't you just visualize the possibilities of illustrations for it? I really like the way you portray Jonah's petulance and anger -- children would be able to identify with Jonah's disappointment that the people of Nineveh didn't get in big trouble for all their heinous misdeeds. (Well, an apology was necessary, wasn't it?) As an adult, I can certainly see myself in Jonah! Great!